Moriah
by KJG
Summary: Soundwave faces his most difficult mission.


Coolly, Soundwave stepped into a rotting motel and tapped the service bell. A haggard alien, sex unidentifiable, strolled out of its corner and plopped on the desk.

An eyestalk curved up at Soundwave. "What you need, blueboy?"

"I am looking for a comrade," monotoned Soundwave. He pushed a button on his waist and from the clear door inset in his chest projected a holographic figure. The bubbly manager poked the image with its pupil.

"It bad business to answer that. People need a place to hide."

Soundwave crossed his arms. "I am on a limited schedule. Have you seen the robot?"

The alien chirped. "Maybe. Make it worth my while." A greasy tentacle reached through the hologram and fondled Soundwave's chest.

Soundwave paused, staring calmly at the tentacle. Then, he detached a cannon from his shoulder and placed it against the alien's eye. "Perhaps you would like to rephrase your answer."

"Room 6b."

Soundwave rapped on the door, leaving dents in the rusting aluminum. A slot door slid back and two red eyes peered out at the Decepticon emblem directly ahead. Soundwave stood back so the tenant could see his head.

"Soundwave?" came the whisper.

"Affirmative."

There was a hurried click and the door swung in.

"Hello, Frenzy," Soundwave said from the knitted shadows. He stepped into the doorway and the room's fluorescent glow. "It has been a long time."

"What's it been; months, years?"

"That is relative."

"Yeah..." Frenzy, a gangly, oily mess of a Decepticon half-smiled at his taller comrade. "Am I surprised to see you!" He stopped, tapped a finger on his mouth and grasped at some awkward words. "It has been awhile. Say, have they outfitted you with a CD player yet? Tapes like me are passé!"

"No. Compact Discs do not transform well."

Frenzy shook his head, that made sense, and watched them both standing there. "Hey! You want to come in?" Frenzy stood aside and waved his arm. "Welcome to my abode." Soundwave examined the room. It looked like the floor of a gerbil's cage.

"Take a seat," Frenzy offered, dancing ahead of Soundwave and pulling a small chair from under a box. Soundwave sat down on the tiny seat, his legs almost reaching his shoulders, and placed his hands on his knees. He looked for Frenzy and saw that the smaller robot was fiddling around inside a cabinet.

Frenzy peered over his shoulder, his hands doing their own thing unattended. "Say, how are the other tapes? Are any of them with you?"

Soundwave thought. "They are all quite fine. All are currently attending to their duties and not accompanying me."

Frenzy turned back to whatever he was doing in the cabinet, but raised his voice. "I miss those guys. We had some good times, you, me and them. Remember the time we all took that holiday? Man, you got so cross when Rumble snapped off that statue's head!"

Soundwave allowed himself a fond stare into the past. "They were good times."

Frenzy strode across the room and displayed the fruit of his efforts. Oh his hand sat a warped tray. Frenzy rotated it in front of Soundwave, so he could view the glowing bricks that sat upon it. "Energon," enticed the smaller Decepticon. "Try some. The stuff I pick up on this world has some extra ingredients that really pack a punch!"

Soundwave raised a hand. "Thanks, but I do not require it."

Frenzy sighed and placed the tray on the floor as he dropped into a chair. He interlaced his fingers and leaned forward. "So, Soundwave...how'd you find me?" His voice dropped in pitch halfway through the statement.

"I tracked you through your shuttle's path and barroom brawls." Soundwave paused. "What are you doing here, Frenzy?"

"Oh," Frenzy blurted, "I make decent cash, here. There's quite a mining business and even some smuggling. In some time, I'll even be able to afford a lease on my own cargo ship!"

"You're not the type to forget war."

"Everyone needs a vacation..."

Soundwave interjected with the cool, reprimanding voice of a professor. "Is it true?"

Frenzy blinked. "Is what true?"

"That you betrayed Galvatron."

Frenzy stumbled and sat bolt upright. "Uh...no, of course not, Soundwave, I...Nope."

Soundwave stayed silent for a moment, simply peering at the head of his squirming companion. "I sense that you are lying."

Soundwave was not using intuition alone. He could actually dig into Frenzy's mind and grasp the electric intentions that his brain was producing. Frenzy knew he was beat and exploded. "Galvatron is insane, Soundwave! He sits there on his rock or in his lava and cackles at meteors that hit him in the head! Before, when he was Megatron, things weren't so bad. But in his new body, with his new name, he couldn't lead a frog to mud!"

Bluntly, Soundwave admitted, "You betrayed Galvatron."

Frenzy jumped up and scratched the air with his fingertips. "All I did was tell a couple of Autobots when his ship was going to be alone in space. They gave me a shuttle and I high-tailed it. With him out of the way, you could become leader, Soundwave. With you in command, the Decepticons wouldn't be regulated to a rockball planet. It would be better than old times!"

Soundwave looked out a window, into the greyish ether that gave the miners breath. "Galvatron survived that attack, Frenzy, and wrung your name out of those Autobots."

Frenzy tapped his foot and waited in fear for the his next question's answer. "Are you here to bring me in?"

"No."

Frenzy sighed and sat back down.

Soundwave looked at him once again. A blaster-gun appeared in his hand. "I am here to execute you, Frenzy."

"What?" Frenzy hopped up. "You just try, Soundwave. I've been in enough fights since I last saw you! I can..."

Soundwave retained his motionless stance and looked past Frenzy. "It is useless to fight. My strength is much greater than yours."

Frenzy lost his tough demeanor and whimpered.

"Face away and get on your knees, Frenzy." The small Decepticon passed Soundwave a pleading gaze, got no response and followed the commands. He felt Soundwave rise from the chair and approach. The tip of Soundwave's gun touched the back of his head and hovered back, its aim attained.

"Come on, Soundwave, isn't there a way around this?!"

The emotionless voice answered, "I have my orders."

Frenzy tried to turn his head but the gun tapped it back. "I'm one of your tapes, part of your team!"

"I know. But you have betrayed our commander's life."

"Yes," growled Frenzy, "yes I did! You blindly followed Megatron and now you blindly follow him as Galvatron! But he's changed for the worse. You're so loyal that you don't let yourself see it. Are you so determined to stay on his good side, his sane side, that you would kill one of your own cassettes?"

Soundwave paused, relaxing his grip on the gun. Still, the weight of honor forced his arm back up. "I...have my orders."

Frenzy grasped for a last ditch effort. "Rumble! He looks just like me! Couldn't you leave me here, detach his head and present it to Galvatron as mine? Galvatron will think I'm dead and you can later reassemble Rumble! It's perfect!"

Soundwave shook his head and the tone of his voice seemed to drop, as if robots could catch colds. "That would endanger Rumble, who is innocent in this matter. I am sorry."

Frenzy pleaded as the gun pressed against his head once more and took aim.

*****

Galvatron draped his arms over a throne of baked mud and gazed in sheer wonder at his feet. On how many Autobot bodies would they tread?

Scourge, who resembled a robotic frost giant, appeared from under an archway. "Soundwave to see you, Lord."

Galvatron rolled his eyes up to his pointed brow. "Let him in. So, Soundwave, welcome back to my court!"

Soundwave observed the grand court, which lacked any molded objects or troops.

Galvatron waved a hand about, conducting a symphony in his head. "I trust your mission was a success?"

Soundwave was still.

"I'll take that as a yes. Now," Galvatron chuckled as he leaned forward, "let me see his body."

Soundwave waited a few seconds to answer. "I cannot."

Galvatron smiled. "And why not?"

Soundwave touched his waist and from his chest ejected a cassette tape. Frenzy transformed and thudded to the ground with a smile.

"Howdy doody, Galvy!"

Galvatron launched to his feet and roared. "He lives! I shall take care of the traitor myself!" He lunged forward and clutched Frenzy's throat. The little Decepticon's eyes popped wide with shock as he grabbed Galvatron's hands. He was lifted off the ground.

Soundwave didn't budge but quietly uttered, "Stop."

Galvatron snarled. "Why? You brought me the swine so that I might kill him myself and I intend to enjoy it. Good show, Soundwave!" He squeezed harder.

"Untrue, Galvatron. I've brought him here to defend himself against your allegations."

Galvatron laughed. "What's to defend?! You know his punishment is death."

"Galvatron," Soundwave stated, "If you will not allow a defense, then I must ask for his life."

Galvatron loosened his grip on Frenzy but held tight. His smile half-dropped. "What gives you the gall to ask for his life? The punk tried to have me assassinated!"

Soundwave paused. Was he ready to cross that line? He put his arms behind his back and looked sternly at Galvatron. "In all the centuries I faithfully served you, be you Megatron or Galvatron, have I ever asked for anything?"

Galvatron snorted and threw Frenzy at Soundwave's feet. "You're cashing in your chips, are you?"

Soundwave looked at the ground.

Galvatron continued. "I ordered you to kill Frenzy and you put the life of that ingrate before your loyalty to me. You failed, Soundwave, and it was not the first time. When you last saw me as Megatron, I had been gravely injured by Optimus Prime. Our escape ship needed to remove dead weight so there'd be enough fuel to get home. Soundwave, you didn't even attempt to stop Starscream from throwing me out into space! Why? If I had not been found by Unicron and converted into my present form, I might still be drifting in space. It would have been a torturous hell and all your fault! Why did you fail me, then?"

Soundwave looked painfully at Galvatron. "I do not know. I just...did not think enough."

"You slipped. And now you've backslided out of my trust. Get Frenzy out of here. If he messes up again, you'll face the same punishment as him. Now, get back to your duty."

"Yes, Galvatron."

Soundwave felt his honor crumble into dust, a trust that had been years in the making and centuries strong. Did Megatron, the being at Galvatron's core, feel the same loss as he? He helped Frenzy to his feet and guided the robot out of the crude room. As they left, Galvatron began to howl, to laugh uncontrollably at the game just played. The commander's demented enjoyment of the predicament was far from the Megatron Soundwave had known.

When they were out of sight, Frenzy looked up at his companion. "Soundwave, I never wanted this to happen. If I knew," he mumbled, "that you'd lose everything, I'd have let you..."

"No," Soundwave stated as he boldly strode away, "It is past. Just stay out of trouble." He left the sullen Decepticon and turned down an empty corridor.

Out of sight, Soundwave braced himself on a stalagmite, caught in the clashing balance of recent events. There was now no doubt; Megatron was dead. But conversely, he had retained a son.

Soundwave straightened and resumed his duties.


End file.
